The New Breaststroke

Lily King and Adam Peatty have displayed a distinctive new “high octane” style of breaststroke, distinguished by strong pulls and kicks that enable both a fast tempo and a swift speed. The breaststroke is very dependent on precise timing, and without that timing, it is easy for the breaststroke to become inefficient and wasteful. The breaststroke does not allow either the legs or arms to rest, and requires a lot of flexibility in the lumbar spine, hips and ankles. It is considered the most difficult stroke to teach and learn.

Key Takeaways:

Of all four of the swimming strokes, the breaststroke is the most timing-sensitive of the four.

To optimally perform a breaststroke, a swimmer must have lumbar, spinal, ankle and hip flexibility.

To do a breast stroke properly means that neither the arms or the legs ever get to rest.

“It is pretty easy to spin your wheels in breaststroke and waste a lot of energy without having much to show for that effort in terms of speed.”